Wary Afghans mull possible Taliban peace talks
Monday, 11 October 2010
KABUL, Oct 10 (Reuters): Like many Afghans, shopkeeper Abdul Sattar recalls Taliban rule as a nightmare of public executions, women shut away at home and evenings without TV, but he might accept some of it back for peace and stability.
With President Hamid Karzai reaching out to insurgents in a bid to broker peace talks, the Kabul businessman says he would support a deal returning Afghanistan's former hardline rulers to some measure of power if it brought an end to 10 years of war.
"The Taliban had some good rules and some bad rules," Sattar said at his stationery shop. "If the government talks to the Taliban and they accept just the good ones, then it could work."
As US President Barack Obama and his NATO allies come under growing pressure at home over the unpopular war, the focus is increasingly turning to possible negotiations with insurgent leaders as a way out.
With President Hamid Karzai reaching out to insurgents in a bid to broker peace talks, the Kabul businessman says he would support a deal returning Afghanistan's former hardline rulers to some measure of power if it brought an end to 10 years of war.
"The Taliban had some good rules and some bad rules," Sattar said at his stationery shop. "If the government talks to the Taliban and they accept just the good ones, then it could work."
As US President Barack Obama and his NATO allies come under growing pressure at home over the unpopular war, the focus is increasingly turning to possible negotiations with insurgent leaders as a way out.